Together
by Neko-Houkou
Summary: As the meteor group approaches the new session, they run into some familiar faces. Can Karkat hold everything together when reality itself is falling apart? Slight AU Takes place toward the end of A6I3. Pairs are KanayaxRose, DavexTerezi, and DirkxKarkat. T for Homestuck.
1. Wasteland

New month, new story. I also have an idea for a little 2-shot (is that even a thing?) for you Homestuck fans that I want to write in its entirety for Valentine's. Whether that happens or more of this story and Unconditional is a toss-up.

Kankri was actually going to be a major character in this story, but after I got halfway through his first sentence, I realized I can't write Kankri for shit x.x Maybe he'll come back later.

I don't own Homestuck. I was really hoping for a better reunion between Nepeta and Equius.

* * *

"Fuck! Is this really necessary?" Karkat snarled, attempting to brush the ash off of his clothes as he slipped and fell yet again.

It was a sorry sight in this dream bubble. As cliché as it sounded, 'desolate wasteland' was the only way anyone knew how to describe it. It was obvious that Lord English had come through already, wiping out anything or anyone that had existed here. The cracks in reality itself could be seen criss-crossing across the black void outside of the bubble, adding an element of danger to the already depressing scene.

"Quit whining, Vantas. You were the one who wanted to put Meenah's army plan on hold until we found that other cherub-girl," Dave replied, biting back a comment about how that ash probably used to be a person. That was one can of angry fuckass he didn't want to open at the moment. Besides, it seemed sort of disrespectful to the ghosts that had been exterminated.

"All I said was that it would be easier to get recruits once we had proof that there was someone who actually stood a chance against that freak. I did _not_ suggest we organize a group scavenger hunt to find her!"

"Now, Karkat, I think that you need to watch your language more carefully, as your implication that this cherub is an object and not a thinking feeling being, as evidenced by the use of 'scavenger hunt' which in this case is a trigger-"

Karkat rushed up to the troll and slapped a hand over Kankri's mouth. "For the love of Gog shut up! Who invited him anyway?" he snapped at the group, keeping his hand over Kankri's mouth even as the Seer tried to continue his speech.

Rose and Kanaya exchanged glances, and Dave kept silent as well. Meenah glared at Aranea, who simply shrugged her shoulders. Terezi giggled before stepping forward and claiming responsibility. "Come on, Karkles, be nice."

"You! Of course it was fucking you! You just like irritating me, don't you?" he snapped. This was just the latest assumption that Terezi was specifically trying to make Karkat miserable. It was pretty obvious to everyone present that he was still sore over the fact that Terezi and Dave had a flushed relationship.

Terezi snorted. "Don't be so melodramatic, Karkat. I just like the way his sweater smells. It's almost as tasty as Dave's hoodie."

Dave was really not flattered. Quite frankly, he could have done without the other Cancer as well. Karkat might be difficult to deal with, but Kankri was just too much even for a badass Strider. It pissed him off to think that his girlfriend was the reason he had to put up with this bullshit.

"Of course the blind girl like the way his sweater smells. Why don't you keep your nose to yourself for once?" Karkat grumbled, accidentally letting go of Kankri when he went to pull his hair in aggravation.

Kankri took a rather large inhale before continuing. "I see. Now not only do we have to talk about your objectification of others, but your lack of consideration for your sight privilege and-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

The perpetually angry Cancer lunged at the other more arrogant Cancer, and probably would have landed more than one punch if Dave hadn't used his power over Time to restrain the angry troll. Though, he waited until Karkat had managed to land one good blow before intervening.

The inhabitants of the meteor had actually joined Aranea's search three weeks prior, since there was nothing else they could do until they arrived in the new session. Meenah had joined after Karkat's argument that finding the other cherub would inspire more people to fight. (Aranea, Kanaya, and Rose were convinced it was actually because Meenah was flushed for Karkat, but they didn't dare say anything, and Meenah never admitted to it.) And apparently Kankri had joined at Terezi's prompting.

It had been alright at first, but as time went by tensions started to run high. Dave blamed Karkat for most of it. Ever since the Strider and Pyrope had started dating Vantas refused to be in the same room when the couple was present. Eventually he started avoiding one-on-one encounters as well. Which meant that he had stored up a whole bunch of angry rantings over the past few weeks and was unleashing them at the slightest provocation.

Kankri's presence was not helping either. While Karkat had initially been very docile around his pre-scratch self, the longer they were together the more easily Kankri triggered Karkat. Actually, Kankri had done a pretty good job of triggering everyone at least once.

Despite getting into several arguments with the now rubbing-his-cheek Vantas, Dave normally wouldn't have let anyone actually hit the troll (or anyone else present) in a fit of anger. This time though, he thought it was for the best that Karkat got in at least one blow. It might be enough to get the point across to Kankri for a few minutes, and Karkat might ease up once he realized fighting wasn't going to fix things.

Dave unfroze Karkat, who let a rather creative string of cusses fall from his lips, first directed at Kankri, then at Dave when he realized Kankri had somehow moved away from him in a split second.

"Strider, if you ever use your fucking god-tier powers on me again-" he trailed off, unable to come up with a proper threat.

Dave was just about to call his bluff when Meenah stepped forward. "Much as I love watching you all fight each other, I think we actually better start getting somefin constructive done."

"Meenah's right. We need to pull ourselves together and find that cherub if we want our existences to continue." Aranea added, trying to calm Karkat down through the promise of self-preservation.

It seemed to work, if the lack of angry blustering was any indication. Dave could still feel the aggravation bubbling just beneath the Cancer's now resigned face, though.

"So, which way should we head now?" Kanaya asked, glancing between Terezi and Rose. As Seers (who weren't Kankri) they had the best chance of pointing the group in the right direction in a non-triggering manner.

"I think we should keep heading east," Rose spoke first, hoping Terezi would agree so that they could continue their search before one of the Cancers started up again.

Rose got her wish after Terezi finished giggling for no apparent reason. "I agree with Ms. Orange Sorbet. Something in that direction smells particularly tantalizing. Like orange-apple blast."

"Is that even a thing?" Aranea asked. Everyone not Terezi just shrugged while Terezi herself took the lead.

The land wasn't completely flat on the far edges of the bubble. The earth raised into mounds just slightly taller than Dave (who was the tallest of the group, much to Karkat's chagrin). It was relatively quiet as they trekked up and down the hills, with only occasional grumbles from Karkat and "Somefin smells _fishy_ if ya ask me," from Meenah.

All good things must come to an end, however. Kankri had been uncharacteristically silent after being uncharacteristically punched by his dancestor. After all, Meenah and the Beforus trolls usually took to ignoring him instead of physically assaulting him. (Meenah, after seeing Karkat in action, was strongly reconsidering the strategy for future encounters.) Dave had to wonder if the troll was physically capable of staying quiet for long stretches. "Terezi, as much as I respect your-"

"Get to the point!" Karkat hissed before the other Cancer could say something involving ableist privileges or slurs or whatever the fuck Kankri was always going on about.

Terezi elbowed her might-have-been Matesprit in the ribs. "He was talking to me, Karkles. Go ahead, Kankri." She urged, ignoring the cussing coming from Karkat's hunched form.

Kankri had a little more trouble ignoring the other troll, however, and showed some restraint. "I really don't think we're going the right way. Not that this is any fault of your own-"

"Okay, I'm going to have to stop you right there," Dave said, holding up his hand. Kankri fell silent, looking nervously between the man who had let him get punched earlier and the troll who punched him.

But then he hardened his resolve. "Perhaps I should take my leave and search for the cherub elsewhere. Clearly you all are unable to handle the burden of recognizing the privileges you have as well as the ones you lack and are possessed by others, and attempt to compensate…"

The only reason Karkat remained silent and allowed the troll to lecture was because of the chance that he really would leave the group. Meenah stayed silent for similar reasons, though everyone else was held back more out of politeness.

Upon finishing his little (by his standards) spiel, Kankri simply walked away, vanishing into another dream bubble. "Da-yamn, it's so nice and quiet," Meenah commented with a rather toothy smile.

"As much as I agree it's nice to have a little peace, I can't help but feel guilty," Kanaya responded.

"You don't honestly think we hurt his feelings?" Dave asked, adding a little extra sarcasm for good measure.

"I sincerely doubt that," Kanaya agreed. "And if we did I can't say I would mind if it deflated his ego a bit." At this Meenah snickered while Rose looked fairly impressed. "But the whole reason we agreed to go as a group was because it would be easier to avoid accidentally running into Lord English, and to be better able to surmount any other obstacles we might come across."

"You worry too much. Somefin tells me that with our luck he'll be perfectly fine and happy as a clam by the time we get back."

"As much as I agree with you, Meenah, I think it would be best if we at least made sure he didn't wander off into one of the bubbles we said were likely to be attacked next," Aranea suggested.

Meenah narrowed her pupil-less eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean 'we'?" she asked.

"You and me, of course."

Meenah groaned. "Do I hafta?" she whined, clearly no pleased at the prospect of dealing with an emotionally agitated Seer of Blood.

Aranea frowned at her friend's reluctance to comply, but then smiled as an idea formed in her mind. "Yes, Meenah. You might have run away from your duties as Empress but you are the leader of the Beforus Sgrub players. It is your responsibility to make sure we continue our existence. After all, you did an excellent job when you killed us all just before the scratch took place. Do you want to see all of your effort go to waste by letting the alpha-Kankri's ghost get annihilated by that vicious cherub?"

The Pieces puffed out her cheeks like a puffer-fish. "No fair. How am I supposed to argue with that? I thought I would be off the hook when we finally died. But I guess you're right. You would all be lost at sea without me. C'mon, let's go find Vantas. The rest of you," she looked at the younger trolls and humans, "keep looking for the cherub-girl. I don't want to waste any more time. We'll catch up with you later."

And with that the other two ghosts disappeared, leaving behind the five meteor inhabitants. "Fuck. What was even the point of teaming up to find the cherub if we were going to end up separating anyway? I told you we should have split into smaller teams in the first place." Karkat ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Well, you got your wish for the time being. Now come on. That delicious smell is getting closer," Terezi urged. She really wanted a lick of whatever it was. The scent was faint, meaning that there was only a small quantity of whatever it was, but it was still absolutely irresistible. It reminded her of the first time she smelled Karkat's blood, only much, much sweeter. The orange was quite familiar as well. She could almost swear that she had very thoroughly sniffed that particular object before, but for whatever reason she distinctly remembered it as being purple scented the last time. Weird.

"Is it now? We've been walking for hours and I haven't seen shit," Karkat grumbled.

Terezi grinned manically in return and let out a cackle. "Oh, Karkat. I told you the scent is getting closer. As in it is moving in this direction. It just so happens that every time we were on top of a hill the sources of those wonderful scents were hidden behind another hill."

"My, my, wouldn't that be convenient? These hills are the perfect place to hide the delicious whatever the fuck, and as such are the perfect excuse to drag us on a wild feather-beast chase all over creation!" Karkat threw his hands up. "But please, lead the way. Your nose is clearly more reliable than everyone's eyes, so it shouldn't be any problem for you to track down this elusive stink!"

Dave, underneath his signature pokerface, was getting more and more disappointed by the second. "Your insults are about as off as nightlight!Kanaya when she isn't glowing." Kanaya and Rose both tried to interject, but Dave just continued. "Seriously, those burns were so weak my teeth are chattering over here. What's gotten into you lately?"

This probably wasn't the time or place to have this discussion, but Dave was seriously tired of not being able to hold a proper argument with the troll anymore. Karkat, though clearly an amateur in comparison to Dave, was the best of the group at hurling insults. Without Egbert to harass Dave needed a good verbal sparring partner to keep his wit sharp. The Strider seriously hoped the lack of effort to be clever wasn't due to the fact that Terezi now had a not-Karkat boyfriend.

"It's hardly a surprise if you actually paid attention."

Everyone but Terezi shifted into a defensive stance, turning toward the source of the voice, which seemed to be hidden behind a hill. Terezi laughed, dissipating some of the tension. "Oh, so _that's_ why the orange reminded me of grapes! But what's the red?"

Her friends spared her a quick glance, their individual gazes on the spectrum between confusion and 'what the hell is wrong with you?' They ignored her once again as they heard footsteps coming around the side of the mound. When the two individuals came into view, though, even Terezi seemed shocked.

Dirk surveyed the group nonchalantly, slowly turning his head from left to right and back again, though no one could be sure that was the path his eyes were following. Meanwhile, a surprisingly pink-cheeked ghost Karkat flicked his gaze around a little more frantically, as though he was waiting for one of them to move from their positions and follow through with their attack.

"'Sup, bro?"


	2. Subtleties

Tomorrow is that big romantic holiday that everyone goes on and on about. So hopefully I'll be posting a two-shot I've been working on within a day or two afterward.

Anyway, please leave reviews. I don't constantly bug you guys for them, but I feel like I need to remind you that they are always welcome, whether praise or critiques!

I do not own Homestuck. The look on Jane's face when Jade pointed out Jake's lack of pants makes me lol

* * *

"'Sup, bro?"

"Nothin' much," Dave replied after a too long pause. This was the second time he had seen his brother, and the very first time they had spoken to each other. "Just trying to track down a limited-edition cherub. Elusive as fuck," he added, feeling his voice shake ever so slightly, which made him furious. He knew no one else but Dirk could tell, but that wasn't the point. He was a badass coolkid, and he was not intimidated by his older-younger brother!

Dave glanced at the other Vantas, who seemed to refuse to make eye contact with him. Then Dave had to wonder why the live Vantas hadn't said anything yet.

"Oh, oh FUCK there's another one?!" And suddenly the world was right again. Or at least, as right as it could be given that the proof of reality's fracturing was glaring in the sky above them.

Terezi snorted. "You would have known this already if you had stuck around when Aranea was introducing us to-"

"There was no way in hell I was sticking around for that nonsense! Anyway, why the fuck are you here?" he snapped at Dirk, completely ignoring his ghost self now. He hated talking to any of his dead selves. It was just another facet of the bullshit paradox space liked to shove down his nutrient-chute, that they were all him but failures from doomed timelines. And yet somehow he was the fuck-up who got to live. It had been easy avoiding an encounter with another dead!Karkat for quite a while, but he guessed it was only a matter of time.

"The laws of paradox space dictated that we had to be here to meet you guys," Dirk responded.

Kanaya narrowed her eyes and spoke before Karkat could flip a shit. "More self-fulfilling paradox loops?" she asked.

"Believe me, we wouldn't be here if we didn't have to be," the ghost Knight grumbled.

Rose nodded. "Your reluctance is... understandable," she said, looking at the seething alpha timeline Karkat. "But, could you please inform us as to the state of the current session? How are the players doing?"

"From what I hear the four of them are doing just fine." Dirk responded nonchalantly.

Dave raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean the four of them? You're one of the players too, aren't you?"

"Not quite."

He didn't waste any time lifting his hand to his shades and slowly lowering them down the bridge of his nose. Everyone gasped slightly when they saw the soulless white eyes over the edge of the glasses. Well, Terezi gasped when she smelled them, at least.

"You're a ghost." Rose stated.

Both Karkats promptly snapped, "Thank you, Captain Obvious." Both Karkats were also promptly ignored by Dirk as he offered an explanation to his current state.

"I'm _the _ghost. It's kind of a long story, but the alpha timeline Dirk ended up getting decapitated. I'm what's left of him, so to speak. My best friend kissed me back to life using my dream-self, though. Actually, I remember that my dream-self's dream-self met you guys just a few minutes before he took over as the player."

Terezi sniffed Dave out of the corner of her nostril. She could smell he was visibly upset. Rose was making a similar observation with her eyes.

Dave ignored both of the girls and did his best to keep calm in front of his brother…'s ghost. To hear that the alpha version of his brother had already died was a blow to Dave's confidence. His Bro had always been so strong, and even though they didn't get along all of the time, he admired the older man. Seeing the corpse Noir left behind was bad enough. To hear that as a supposed hero of his session he had already gotten killed and to see the ghost left behind… This was a bad sign.

Thinking about it was not going to help any, so Dave redirected his gaze outward and toward his brother's companion. "What about you? How did you die?"

Dead!Karkat winced slightly at being addressed so suddenly. The dead troll finally looked him in the eye. The glance didn't last long. The Cancer folded his arms over his chest before responding, "I don't want to talk about it."

"No fucking surprise there! I bet you're one of the ones who fucked up trying to figure out what the fuck that pink sludge was on Nepeta's planet!" Karkat practically shouted; the uncharacteristic submissiveness of his ghost-self grating on his nerves.

"Shove it down your nutrient-chute, Vantas. I said I don't want to talk about it," was the much less heated, but still angry reply. "Look, we're supposed to be here to help guide you through the bubbles. You know, since Piexes, Serket, and preachy Mcfuckface ditched you," he addressed the group at large, yet managed to simultaneously ignore both his live self and Dave.

"Well, that was rather thoughtful of you. But if you don't mind my asking, how did the two of you make each other's acquaintance?" Rose asked.

Dirk took a moment to think through the answer. "I'm sure our bro here could tell you how time works in these bubbles. It's not my area of expertise, so all I know is that it doesn't flow normally. Looking at the session timeline, I only died a few weeks ago. Here though, I was wandering around for about a year before Karkat found me."

"Dumbass was poking around one of those reality fissures near the center of the cracks," he rubbed the side of his face with his hand. "That psychotic cherub was still lurking around, too. How stupid can you be?"

"Does prodding the fissures harm reality even further?" Kanaya asked.

"How the fuck should I know? But there's no sense in risking it. Anyway, we've been wandering around for a few months now, looking for you morons," the dead Knight finished, his crossed arms finally falling away from his chest to rest at his sides.

"Because you're supposed to be here." Terezi prompted.

"Yes, didn't we already fucking explain that?"

The Libra nodded, a sly smile creeping onto her face. "Yes, you did. But how could you know that you were supposed to meet us here? Your past-self would need to have knowledge of our location. You would also have to have known exactly where to find Coolkid 2. Time might not flow the same here, but you're no more of an expert than I am at how it works, so it's doubtful you had or will have the opportunity to somehow reverse the flow or find another way to contact the you that would later go and be the you that finds New Strider and is talking to us now."

The corner of Dirk's mouth actually quirked into a lopsided smirk, while his companion stared at the other troll, slack jawed. The deceased Strider waited a moment before addressing that issue. "You better close it before you get ash in there. Your mouth is dirty enough as it is."

The other ghost didn't snap his jaw shut, but he did turn his white gaze to the Prince. After a moment of seeing the smirk he went from confused to livid rather quickly. "Are you fucking serious?" When the smirk only widened he actually started blushing and shouting. "Gogdamnit, Dirk! Why don't you take all those fucking metaphor of yours and club me to my second death with them, please, because if I have to stand here and put up with this shit any longer I'll go handcuff myself to Kankri instead! Seriously, if I were alive my eyes would be shooting fountains of blood from having to read all the fucking pointless subtext!"

Kanaya said nothing, but she felt something stir in the vicinity of her stomach. Rose asked if she was feeling nauseous, since she looked pale, well, more pale than usual, all of a sudden, but Kanaya waved her off, saying that everything was fine as she tried to sort out the source of her sudden discomfort.

Dead!Karkat continued his shouting for several minutes before Terezi interrupted. "As much as I would like to find out what got you so upset you started blushing such a sugary-sweet red," at this both Cancers glared at her, "But you never answered my question."

"That's because it made no fucking sense to me, but I'm sure it will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about me, right?" he asked, earning a toothy grin in response. "Gog, in only a few months I forgot how creepy you could be."

Terezi frowned. She pressed one hand over her heart and another to her forehead, pretending to swoon. "Karkat, you forgot about me?"

"Don't be so melodramatic," the live Karkat snapped.

"I wasn't talking to you," Terezi replied.

He made a frustrated noise. "Months without dealing with this bullshit must have been nice. Besides, why in the fuck do you care what a ghost thinks of you?"

"Well, technically, he's an iteration you," Dave interjected. "So are you asking why she should care what you think of her?"

Meanwhile, Kanaya, feeling better all of a sudden, was debating with Rose about whether or not they should intervene before the conversation turned into a full-fledged argument. Patience was becoming scarcer as the pressure to save existence grew. The girls were well aware that their friends needed to let off some frustration, but that needed to wait. Right now, they felt it would be best to keep on track.

They were saved the trouble of intervening when Dirk cleared his throat rather loudly. "I think, now that we've gotten to know each other a little better, I should properly introduce myself. I'm Dirk," he said. His words had a demanding tone, basically telling everyone to be quiet and start acting civil.

"Dave," was all the Strider brother replied.

"Terezi, his girlfriend," she said, hugging his arm.

"Rose. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Kanaya, Rose's umm… I'm glad to meet you as well." Perhaps this wasn't the best time to bring up her relationship status with Rose.

"…"

"Ow, Fuck, Terezi!" he snapped as he rubbed his ribs yet again. "He already knows who the fuck I am. Why should I waste time introducing myself?"

Kanaya sighed. The increasingly antagonistic (without being properly black) relationship between the two previous Matesprits was beginning to grate on her nerves. She shuddered to think what would happen if Karkat discovered who Terezi's Kismesis was. "It's the polite thing to do, Karkat," she urged, hoping to prevent another argument from breaking out.

The Knight looked like he was considering ignoring the way out of another fight, but in the end he sighed and accepted Kanaya's assistance. "Karkat."

"Speaking of polite," Dirk urged his own Vantas, who obliged with less of a fight.

"I'm Karkat too. Sort of." The second part was muttered, though everyone heard it.

Dirk nodded, apparently pleased even though the grin had fallen from his face quite some time ago. "It's getting a little late, or rather early, I believe. You should probably all wake up soon."

"And do what exactly?" Karkat snapped. "We've been on that meteor nearly an entire sweep! It's fucking boring!"

Dirk slowly turned his gaze solely onto the live troll. Vantas flinched at the extremely serious aura seeming to flood from the human. "Practice. Train. Improve yourself physically. You're going to need it."

The Cancer snorted. "Why should I waste my time? There's no way it'll help against that psychotic cherub-"

"I'm not joking," Dirk replied, coming as close to snapping as a properly stoic Strider ever could. Karkat immediately shut the fuck up, and Dave couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. If only he knew the secret to getting Karkat to be quiet. "The time you spend training is just as important as the time you spend searching, maybe even moreso."

"Is your Karkles not the only one with a secret?" Terezi teased.

"Honestly, I don't have any information about the future. Karkat's the one who knows why we're here." He paused for a moment and looked toward his companion. The dead Knight remained silent, forcing his expression from angry to impassive. Even Dave was impressed by the level of apathy. It was as apathetic as a properly angry Vantas could be. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to behave as though none of us have any free will. Make yourselves stronger. That's all I can say. We'll meet you here tomorrow night." Finished with his suggestion, Dirk began to walk toward and then past dead!Karkat. When the troll didn't move from his position of glaring at the girls Dirk turned around and grabbed his shoulder. The residents of the meteor were quite surprised when, instead of flipping the fuck out at being touched, the other ghost simply turned and followed his companion back the way they had come.

"Holy fuck." Karkat stated in a disbelieving tone. "No, that's not it," he muttered, turning around and walking away himself, leaving four confused teens behind with nothing to do but wake up.


	3. Almost Fight

Just when cannon Karkat and Dave are finally starting to get along...

For anyone reading this while waiting for Unconditional, if you give me reviews, I will give you the final chapter sooner. The same goes for this story. Reviews=quicker updates

I do not own Homestuck. But someday, I will own a scalemate.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the way we're supposed to go?"

"For the fifth fucking time, yes, this is the right direction," the ghost snapped at Dave. "Unless you can use your powers to prove I'm fucking wrong with 100% accuracy, we are going this way."

Dave frowned. "Look, all I'm saying is that this place gives me a bad feeling."

Though no one voiced the opinion, everyone agreed, even Dirk. The area they were currently traversing hadn't yet been visited by Lord English, but it was still creepy. It was a rather bleak, cavernous area. They were currently making their way through a crevice of gray stone, and it seemed they were the only form of life for miles. Even for a ghost it was a rather dismal place.

The deceased Knight snorted, ignoring the tension as he turned around and walked up to the other boy. "Then why don't you just fucking forget about your duty as a player and go back to writing your shitty raps while we act responsibly and find that damn cherub."

Dave's lips thinned even further before he replied. "Yeah, I can see how doing what you think is right has gotten you this far." It was a low blow, calling the troll out on the death he refused to discuss, but quite frankly Dave would have preferred to take another route, any other route. He had the sense that something bad would occur at that location in the near future.

The ghost's entire face turned red as he wound up for a shout fest that would never come.

"Knock it off," Dirk interjected, moving to stand beside his fellow ghost. It was amazing how quickly Karkat deflated, looking almost ashamed for getting into an argument. He wasn't even the one Dirk had been addressing, the ghost Strider clearly glaring at his brother. As the Cancer folded his arms over his chest and hunched slightly, Kanaya felt that same strange feeling as the previous night wash over her for a brief moment before vanishing just as abruptly.

"Why are you pinning this on me?" Dave asked his brother. It was far from unusual for him and the live Karkat to argue, so he failed to see how arguing with the ghost was any different. He also had to wonder why the dead troll was so easily pushed around by the other Strider, and why he didn't seem as shouty as usual.

"Karkat does a good enough job beating himself up. I just want to make sure we can keep going with as little fuss as possible. Unless you need a rest?" he addressed the non-God-tier trolls who were still under certain constraints of their bodies, even in the dream world.

Terezi shook her head in the negative, but Kanaya objected. "My apologies for being such a hassle, but I actually would like to sit down for a moment." The sudden flip of her stomach was bothering her. She had dismissed it last time, but she wondered if it was symptomatic of something. If that was the case, she wanted to wait for a little while and see if it would happen again. Hopefully she could puzzle out the cause quickly, though it was unlikely.

"Don't worry about it, Kanaya," the dead Cancer replied in a reassuring tone. Kanaya missed it, but Rose, with her Seer abilities, felt that there was more to the words than the context of the conversation.

The other Seer, conversely, was paying more attention to Kanaya. "Come on, Kanaya, just let Rose carry you," she cackled, not serious in the suggestion but enjoying the scent of jade wafting from the Virgo's cheeks and the hint of red on Rose's.

"Why don't you quit picking on her? Just because you're not feeling fucking awkward in your fucking Matespritship doesn't give you license to harass other people!" Karkat finally spoke up. "Just let her have a break! She's done about ten fucking times as much work to keep us going as you have."

Dirk literally stepped into the middle of the conversation. "Honestly, am I going to have to put you all in a corner to keep you from bickering?"

"I don't know _how_ the fuck you did what you did to him!" Karkat snarled, pointing at his own ghost, "But you are not the fucking boss of _me!_" he snapped, stepping up to the Strider.

Dead!Karkat was the one who intervened this time, inserting himself into the small space between his live self and Dirk. "Step off, Vantas," he ordered. Everyone was rather shocked that he was in such close quarters with other beings intentionally, never mind the fact that he was actually trying to stop the fight. Add that to the fact that it was a Strider he was defending, and everyone knew something very strange was happening. The troll girls also had the benefit of knowing it was very unlike those times when he had argued with his past and future selves. This was less angry blustering and a lot more protective.

Karkat stared into the soulless version of his own eyes, contemplating his next move. While he would have loved to continue the argument with whomever he could bait, he had some questions. Some very important questions that needed to be asked in private. "Come with me," he muttered, grabbing the ghost's sleeve and bodily dragging him away from the group. The ghost put up no resistance. Likewise, Dirk didn't object.

Terezi pursed her lips. "What the heck was that about?"

"I'm not entirely certain. Should we bring them back?" Rose asked.

Kanaya settled herself onto a rock before responding to the question. "I think they'll be back in a few minutes. It would likely be in our best interest to let them have some privacy. I'm certain Dirk agrees. That was why you refused to stop them, yes?" Kanaya suddenly had an inkling as to the sudden cause of her malady, and Dirk's answer could help her either confirm or disprove it, though she would still need to gather more evidence.

The ghost Strider nodded, so Kanaya remained quiet. Rose took a seat next to her while Terezi just flopped on the ground, giggling slightly. Dave chose to lean against the crevice wall. Dirk remained exactly where he was, though he turned slightly to get a better view of the group.

"Since we have a little time, I was wondering if you could elaborate more on how you met Karkat," Rose requested.

Dirk gave her a thorough once-over behind his shades. "I'm assuming there was something particular you wanted to know about our first encounter."

Rose nodded in the affirmative. "Why were you poking around the fissures in the first place? It seems like an unusual, almost counter-intuitive thing to do, as was pointed out by your companion in less polite terms."

Dirk shrugged. "Like I said, I was here for a year in some sort of technical sense. No one I'd met had any sort of info on the cracks themselves. I was looking to see if there was a way to repair them at least partially. That way we might have bought more time to find this other, more elusive cherub."

"The laws of paradox space dictate that you had to meet Karkles, but that still doesn't make sense. It's the kind of place he would avoid, so why is there even a paradox loop dictating you would meet there in the first place? You said you didn't know why you had to come and meet us, but surely you know something about why you had to meet him," Terezi prompted, hoping to pick his brain and see if he knew more than he was letting on.

The slight tension in Dirk's spine was imperceptible to everyone but Dave, who recognized the action from his original Bro. "He told me a little bit about how he died," he admitted, his gaze skipping from one teen to the other, only lingering slightly longer on Dave. "But other than that the majority of what I got out of him was confused and self-contradicting shouting. I think it was mostly about how even though it was a paradox and supposed to happen it felt wrong because he knew about it and I didn't and that it didn't matter because I had no choice in the matter and he was forcing it on me but he didn't have a choice either… Honestly I just stopped paying attention after a while and let him shout himself hoarse. He's calmed down a lot in the time since then coming to terms with what happened, but there are still some things he doesn't like to talk about rationally, if at all."

Terezi sighed. She already knew Karkat hated the laws of paradox space, so that portion of his explanation hadn't revealed anything to her. Lucky for her, her Coolkid picked up on another detail. "Being a ghost was what it took to mellow him out?"

Dirk tensed even further, and this time Kanaya, who had been hoping for such a signal, noted it as well. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it," was all he said. Actually, that was enough for Kanaya. She added another mental tally in support of her recently formed hypothesis. She was now actually hoping the Karkats would return soon. She doubted she would get much out of her deceased friend if she confronted him directly. Her only choice was to very carefully study the interactions between the two ghosts.

Rose then began asking questions about Dirk's life before he, well, died. Much of what he shared had already been confirmed by Aranea, though gave the information a new perspective. He also added several details the group had been unaware of, such as undyingumbrage's penchant for 'naughty' drawings. This managed to keep everyone entertained during the remaining time it took for Karkat to confront his ghost.


	4. Heartsick

Reviews please and thank you!

I do not own Homestuck. I really need to work on my dialogue apparently.

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"Seriously, what the fuck?" the ghost asked somewhat calmly after they were out of earshot.

"I could ask you the same! Why in the fuck were you standing up for that… that… _Strider_?" the live Karkat responding, adding emphasis to indicate that a Strider was the worst possible thing you could be in paradox space.

The ghost crossed his arms, but refused to hunch under the insult. "Just because you're still having issues with your Strider-"

"Why in the fuck does everyone keep accusing me of having issues with Strider just because he started dating Terezi? It's not my fucking fault he was a grade-A nook hygienic product and the most annoying fuck of all time way before he even saw her. But that isn't what we're talking about! We are talking about his post-scratch brother and how much of a fucking nooksniffer he's bound to be!"

The ghost Cancer's eyes narrowed. "You sound awfully defensive."

Karkat hissed as though he had been hit. "I am not being defensive! Why the fuck are you making this about Strider?"

"Because you aren't over him, and that's part of both our problems!" The deceased troll snapped, losing some of his earlier calm.

Karkat stood for a moment, his eyes wide in shock. After a while some of the tension drained out of his stance, and at his dead self with a rather stunned expression. "What?" he asked, unable to keep a slight tremble out of his voice, and he hated himself for it.

Dead!Karkat deflated a bit as well, sensing the decline in antagonism coming from his live self. "You aren't upset at Strider because he's dating Terezi. You're upset with Terezi because you still have black feelings for Strider, and you don't think that, as a human, he would be willing to manage different quadrants at the same time, even if he was capable of sustaining a Kismesitude at all. And if he's not, Terezi is already his girlfriend, which blocks you from even attempting something more flushed. Not to mention he always adamantly denies any attraction to 'guys' because he 'isn't homosexual.'" He used air quotes to emphasize the doubted validity of the statement. Finished with his explanation, the ghost Knight waited to see how the live Knight would react.

Karkat stood for a moment, slack-jawed. "How- How could you possibly know that?" He seemed to recover a little as an idea seemed to form in his head. "Dave and Terezi haven't been dating that long. From what I can tell, we haven't done much that would result in the timeline splintering and creating a doomed timeline where you would have died with that knowledge. And what the fuck makes you think I'm not over him?! It was only a brief flare of dark feelings! It faded just as quickly as it came!" He denied, knowing that he would have to admit to the initial attraction if he was going to get away from this conversation with his pride intact.

The ghost sighed. "Technically, I, or rather, you, haven't died yet."

"What?" the Cancer asked again, confusion outweighing fear of being called out on his feelings.

"That was how I knew where to go find Dirk, and how I knew was supposed to meet you. I haven't died yet. I told you all of those things before you died so I would know where to go when it finally happened."

Karkat mulled that over for a moment. "Then how could you be here in the past to tell me what you would need to do in the future?" Karakt felt just that little bit dumber for having asked the question. Not because he didn't understand, but because paradox space was bullshit.

The ghost didn't reply at first. His posture relaxed, and he glanced toward the ground. Karkat was very familiar with that stance. It was how he looked when he was tired of… well, everything. "It has to do with how you died. The circumstances were pretty unique. An unstable time loop propelled your ghost… Propelled me to an earlier point on a stable time loop in paradox space where I would be able to intersect with the alpha timeline when I was meant to meet you and help perpetuate my creation in the first place."

Karkat was tugging at his hair, trying to puzzle out what the fuck his ghost had just spat out. The other Cancer saved him some time. "Don't worry about it too much. You'll understand it at the exact moment when I die."

"That… That makes no fucking sense! And what do my totally platonic, non-existent feelings for Strider have to do with this?" Karkat snapped, going on the defensive once more.

The ghost lifted his eyes to his past-live self once more. "He is the Knight of Time, isn't he?"

Karkat mulled that over for a few moments. "That still doesn't make- No. No. NO. There is no way in fuck!" he shouted as it started to dawn on him. "That Gog-damned grub of an orphaned lusus!" he snarled, grabbing the ghost and throwing him against the wall. He kept him pinned there by the sleeves of his shirt. "It's not true! There is no way in fuck I would die for him!"

The ghost's reply was angry, but lacking the usual heat that went into Karkat's speech. "I know what you're thinking. And you don't get it, not entirely. And I know telling you that you don't get it won't help you get it, but that's what I'm supposed to tell you."

Karkat laughed sarcastically and released the other troll. The ghost straightened out his shirt while Karkat paced back and forth for a moment. "What the fuck. Did I write this down right after I died so I wouldn't forget?"

The ghost shrugged, not the least bit perturbed by the other troll's sudden hysteria hidden beneath the sarcasm. "Why bother? Paradox space doesn't let you say anything you aren't supposed to anyway. Complete and utter bullshit," he muttered. "But the inevitability and cause of our death isn't what you wanted to discuss."

The Knight of Blood paused in his laughter and pacing. He then paced back and forth for a few steps more, clearly agitated, and understandably so. It was obvious he wanted to continue denying what his dead-self had just said, fight it tooth and nail until he bled his disgusting blood all over the walls of the fate he was trapped in. But he knew it was as unavoidable as the arrival of Lord English had been, and he needed to move on, not just because it was what he was supposed to do, but for the sake of his sanity.

"You and the other Strider…" Karkat started, unsure of how he wanted to phrase his question. But then he just decided to spit it out, since beating around the bush like that flower-thing Strider would sometimes talk about was a waste of precious time. "You're vacillating quadrants with him, aren't you?" The heated shouting reserved only for the dead!Strider, the normally unwanted physical contact. The only other explanation was that his ghost had gone freaking insane, and honestly, he hoped the latter was the case.

"Yes," dead!Karkat responded plainly, dashing the live Karkat's hopes.

Karkat shook his head. "I don't get it. He seems like the exact same type of nooksniffer as his sibling-thing-"

"-You've only known him for a few hours," the ghost interrupted, but Karat just waved him off, not finished explaining

"How in the world did you get into a vacillating relationship with him? I mean, being flushed for a Strider seems ridiculous enough, not to mention I've seen how fucked up a vacillating relationship can get. Then again, maybe a fucked-up relationship is the only kind I can get. But seriously, I didn't think I was _that_ desperate," he finished glaring at his dead self.

The deceased Knight glared at the troll that used to be him. "Gog, will I ever be done insulting my past and future selves?" he snarled, screwing his eyes shut in frustration and slapping his forehead for good measure. "Look, I wasn't all too interested in it at first either, but you know what? Even without knowing all that paradox space bullshit, Dirk was interested. Unlike Strider, he was actually open to a relationship with another 'boy' and was even willing to experiment with a Kismestude, even though his initial feelings were more flushed. And do you know what else, Vantas?" he moved to stand right in front of the other troll. Karkat backed off immediately, uncomfortable with the proximity as well as the strength of emotion behind the words.

Unwilling to be pushed around, by a dead version of himself no less, he mustered up some of the usual false anger he hid his true feelings behind. "What?" he asked, for the third and last time, doing his best to make it sound like a challenge.

"I'm happy. I am so fucking happy you wouldn't believe it." The words were stated so plainly that Karkat couldn't argue, no matter how badly he wanted to. He glared at his ghost, his lips curling up into a snarl, but the gesture looked far more defensive than aggressive.

As his ghost stood, waiting for him to reply, he wanted to slap some sense into himself. That thought was more confusing than it ought to be, given the situation, and that just made him angrier. What pissed him off the most was that he couldn't figure out who he was really angry at, or why he was angry at them.

"Yeah, well, that is fan-FUCKING-tastic for you. It must be nice to actually not have to be more concerned with protecting the universe and have the free time to deal with such a convoluted relationship."

Dead!Karkat narrowed his eyes. He knew what it looked like when he was hurting. "It is nice, not having to feel worthless and alone." It was stated calmly.

The other Cancer winced at having his bluff called so easily, and with such little doubt or emotion, especially since it was coming from his own mouth, in a weird sort of roundabout way. He snarled at the ghost and turned on his heels, fleeing in the direction of his somewhat friends. He hesitated right as they came into view though. Dirk was smirking, and everyone else seemed to be laughing. Rose and Kanaya were sitting side by side, looking as amused as he had ever seen them. Terezi had her arms wrapped around Strider's leg and was smiling up at him. Her smile was being returned with the closest Karkat had ever seen Strider come to smiling.

When they noticed him standing there awkwardly, the Strider siblings' looks returned to neutral. Actually, if he looked very closely, Dirk almost seemed worried. It made sense when he felt the other ghost come up beside him. As much as he wanted to know why they had been laughing, and why it had stopped, he couldn't bring himself to ask. As the deceased Knight subtly took his reserved place by the Prince, Karkat couldn't help but agree; it must be nice to not feel worthless and alone.


	5. Dead Again

Spring break is over and I did absolutely nothing constructive. Have some Strider drama and Karkat angst as a gift, because I seriously need to work on my paper.

I do not own Homestuck. Please tell me if my interpretations of the characters are accurate, at least.

* * *

"Watch your step," Dave warned. Terezi was too busy lamenting the fact that neither ghost would let her lick them to see if ghost blood tasted the same as regular blood. Dave, pointing out the fact that neither ghost was even present at the moment, was trying to get her to pick up the pace slightly. The sooner they could get out of the rocky crevice, the better.

Just this morning they arrived in the new session. The Land of Crypts and Helium seemed as good a place as any to begin looking for clues as to the cherub's whereabouts. But it was a large planet, and they were short on time.

Kanaya was trying to maneuver around in highly fashionable though somewhat impractical heels. Rose helped her to hold steady as she floated by the Virgo's side. Every now and again they would make a comment on the brightly colored balloons floating by, which Terezi also enjoyed. Aside from that they remained quiet.

Karkat, bringing up the rear, was stewing in his own thought, no different than usual. He was turning the conversation from a few days ago over and over in his head. Maybe he had been too hasty assuming he had died on Strider's behalf. There were literally billions of ways it could happen. It didn't necessarily have to involve his fellow Knight. The only stipulation was that Strider would be present during or very shortly after the event. Hell, with all the paradox space bullshit, he might not actually die until well after they beat the freak cherub that was fucking with reality. And even then, that ghost might have been from a doomed timeline instead of being the alpha timeline Karkat.

None of this made him feel any better. Another ghost version him meant that he had fucked up yet again. Never mind the fact that anyone else could have made a choice that doomed the timeline. If he failed to help his so-called friends avoid making those damning mistakes, then he was the shittiest leader he could think of.

He yelped as a rock landed on his head. "What the fuck!" he snarled as he rubbed the spot.

"Weren't you paying attention earlier? The rocks aren't stable. Maybe that bump to your noggin will knock some sense into it," Dave called over his shoulder.

"How about you come back here and I'll knock some sense into your noggin, whatever the fuck it is," Karkat muttered, seriously pissed off but not feeling up to a fight with Strider at the moment.

He briefly considered kicking the canyon wall, but hesitated when some more rock tumbled down from above him. This place was seriously dangerous.

"Woah," Terezi said as a larger rock rolled down the side of the canyon and just barely missed her. She leaned over the edge and pretended to watch it fall into the darkness below. No one could tell if it was a dark river of some sort or just a very long fall.

Kanaya held her hand up to shield herself from a handful of small pebbles threatening her immaculate hair. "Perhaps we should have taken a different route."

"This was the direction those ghosts insisted we go," the Strider stated. Actually, it had been more like the dead!Karkat had insisted and his alpha!brother's ghost had just gone along with it. Actually, that had struck the Knight as strange, but he had let it drop even though his brother seemed to be more of a leader than a follower. That had been two days ago, and now that they were in the new session they were attempting to make more progress while awake. Finding the new players was just as important as locating the cherub. "We're already halfway through. No sense in turning around," Dave stated calmly as he eyed the canyon walls suspiciously.

The ground started shaking, dislodging more loose stones, and a rumbling sound filled the air. "An earthquake?" Rose wondered as she kept Kanaya from falling flat on her face.

"Fuck!"

Karkat drew all eyes to him, but everyone's attention was quickly redirected when they realized he was staring at the sky. A faint crackling was barely audible over the sound of the earth tumbling down the cliff. Yet even if there had been dead silence, the shattering of the void was unmistakable. It looked like the center of a break, meaning the culprit couldn't be too far away.

"What the hell is Lord English doing out here?" Dave snapped.

"It doesn't matter. We need to get moving before we're buried!" Kanaya shouted above the growing roar as larger and larger rocks began falling. Rose simply picked up Kanaya and started to fly between the now dangerously large boulders. Dave was about to do the same for Terezi when he noticed Karkat and his ecto-sister were having trouble catching up with him and his girlfriend.

Thinking that sooner was better than later, Dave took a moment to go back to earlier. It was the first time since reaching God-tier that he had used his powers to go back in time. But the transition was smooth as he went back about thirty seconds. The boulders threatening Rose and Kan didn't stand a chance against his swordsmanship.

He landed as the worst of the tremors began to subside. There were still a few rocks tumbling down, but there didn't seem to be any more that were life-threatening. Dave thought he had done a pretty good job anticipating how large of a time loop he would need, and he hadn't overshot it and made a doomed loop because of the God-tier power boost. Terezi was waiting over by his brother and the deceased Knight. All three were still looking a little nervous since the ground hadn't stopped shaking entirely.

But that couldn't be right. After all, the ghosts should only have been there if they were asleep or dead, since they weren't already in a dream bubble.

"What the fuck are you doing!?"

Dave was the Knight of Time. It didn't flow for him the way it flowed for everyone else. He had always thought that whole thing where a tragic experience seems to drag on and lasts an eternity was a load of bullshit. He'd yet to have such an experience, and being a Hero of Time he figured he knew the mechanics well enough to assume the perception of time was not that different between a traumatic experience and a happy one.

And yet, the moment seemed fast and slow. He had enough time to register something small and warm and very much alive tackling him as something large and cold and unyielding rolled down the cliff to the spot where he was standing the instant before. But it was happening too fast, he knew even as he tried to jump to his timeline, any timeline.

He felt his stomach drop as something warm and wet and not from his body dripped down his face. He tried to jump again, back even further, not even knowing where he was at the moment. As he whipped through time haphazardly, a gray hand reached out, accompanied by white eyes. Dave hadn't known ghosts could bleed.

"Dave!" Terezi shrieked as her human boyfriend reappeared. "Where did you go?"

"When." was all he replied as he tried to regain his bearings. He was back in the alpha timeline.

Too fast, too slow, an eternal instant that kept replaying in his mind's eye.

"Oh, you're hurt," Kanaya noted sympathetically. She became more concerned when she noted that his whole hoodie was wet, likely with the same blood splattered across his cheek and lips.

"No, I'm not." He whipped his head back and forth until his gaze settled on Karkat. The Cancer was clearly alive, and glaring at something behind Dave.

Terezi sniffed at the supposed wound, her nose crinkling. Most everyone expected her to contradict his statement. She said nothing.

"Is everyone else alright?" A voice asked from behind Dave. The Knight turned around to see the two ghosts. Dirk was wearing a concerned expression as he looked over the group.

Kanaya waved her hand to the right. "We are alright. Unconscious, as you can see," Dave turned in the direction Kanaya was gesturing and saw five bodies. He nearly panicked until he realized he and his friends were all still breathing evenly. "But we managed to survive."

Rose made a comment about Dirk's decision to send them into such a clearly dangerous situation, but Dave ignored her as he turned to look between the two Karkats. The ghost looked angry in a tired sort of way, while the alpha-timeline Vantas was trying to find an expression between furious and extremely furious.

Eventually, Dave couldn't help but settle his gaze on the ghost. There was an uncomfortably long silence. Dirk seemed to bristle a little, a clear warning that he didn't appreciate the staring contest. Dave noted it in his peripheral, but kept his gaze on the ghost.

"Is that why you didn't want to talk about how you died?"

Rose quit talking and the troll broke eye contact to stare at the ground, and a silent but very much present gasp made its way through the group. "What are you talking about?" Dirk asked, breaking the silence. The live Karkat was about to ask if he was fucking kidding. He hesitated when he noticed the genuinely confused look on the other Strider's face.

Dave stood before responding. "I tried to go back in this timeline and protect Kanaya and Rose. I ended up in a doomed timeline by mistake."

Rose had a feeling she knew what Dave was intimating. But that didn't mean she hoped she was right. "So, is the blood mine?" she asked. Her ecto-brother turned to look at her, but then his head twisted a little more. Even being unable to see his eyes through the shades, she could tell he was looking at someone else.

He turned back around to face the two ghosts. Dirk's brow was furrowed over his glasses, blatantly showing his concern about the troll staring at the ground. "It's his." The Hero of Time stated. "Why didn't you say anything?"

If Dave had that much blood on him, the two would have needed to be right next to each other when Karkat died, the still live Cancer reasoned. The only reason Dave would have survived was if Karkat had pushed him out of the way, giving up his own chance to escape. In a doomed timeline, his death would have been inevitable anyway, but in the heat and panic of the moment, he could have chosen to prolong it slightly instead. Yet he saved Dave.

Karkat stood there in shock. It was true that that wasn't necessarily what happened. But the ghost's words came back to him, and he knew deep down it was indeed the truth.

"And what good would that have fucking done? This was what had to happen. I would assume that as the Knight of Time would understand that better than fucking anyone else. If you think you can do a better job running the show, be my guest. I did what I came here to do," the deceased troll defended.

"You mean perpetuate your own fucking death?" the other Cancer snapped, thought it lacked some of the usual bite, and everyone noticed.

"What's done is done. This is the alpha timeline, and there's no messing with what's already happened," Dirk said, his voice perfectly passive. Yet when he closed his mouth during the pause, there was a visible tick in his jaw.

His companion looked a little startled by the abrupt statement. Dead!Karkat opened his mouth but closed it again without speaking. His live counterpart decided to break the silence. "You died here, so you don't know what the fuck happens next. Unless you have something better to do, you might as fucking well come with us. It's not like you have much choice anyway, with that freak roaming around," he added, gesturing over his shoulder in the direction of the central reality crack. He was surprised by how calm he sounded. His own voice echoed in his ears and reminded him vaguely of Aradia after her death.

Dirk glanced between his brother, partner, and the obviously perturbed troll before finally addressing the group at large. "I think that's a good idea. It's better to stick together out here."

"Yeah," the deceased troll agreed. "We'll meet you in two days. For now, you better get your bodies out of here before the cherub arrives." He turned around and started to walk away. Dirk sighed and followed.

Surprisingly enough, Karkat was the next to move. He briefly glanced at the three girls as he passed them, wincing at the looks of pity in their eyes. Kanaya looked especially upset for some reason he couldn't fathom. He completely ignored the bloodstained Strider as he walked past. Even knowing it was his blood all over the human made him want to vomit. His disgusting blood, his failure, was blatantly visible, plastered all over the one person he hateliked.

Yet his body was perfectly fine. It was just lying in the dirt, sleeping. In another time, it made itself useful by saving someone. Now, though, it was just wasting space.

Kanaya, for her part, was worried about the ghosts' relationship. She could now confirm that there was simply more than a pale undertone that was almost necessary to maintain sanity in the void. She'd had them pegged as fledging Kismesis, but it seemed that learning the cause of Karkat's death had put doubt in Dirk's mind. She wasn't their official Auspictice, but she hoped her natural tendency to meddle would be useful, for once.

Not to mention, she was concerned about the mental and emotional wellbeing of her still alive and seemingly highly distraught friend.

But, sadly, that would have to wait until they were safe from Lord English.


	6. At Least

This is the final chapter. I actually upset myself while writing this. It might have had something to do with sleep deprivation... I hope you all enjoyed this story and are willing to write a review!

I do not own Homestuck. So, like, are Rose and Kanaya Kismesis now, because I did not see that coming o_o;

* * *

There was definitely tension between the two ghosts. Kanaya was not alone in her observation. But the only one who really understood the problem was Karkat. He couldn't help but think about it at they walked through the dream bubble bisecting the Land of Tombs and Krypton, Dirk's planet.

The ghosts, or rather Dirk, would try to keep a conversation going. However, even when Dirk made comments that would normally have Karkat screaming at the top of his lungs, the deceased Cancer only replied with five words at the most, in a calm voice no less. The live Karkat kept quiet out of respect, as well as fear that he would make things worse.

Dirk was smart if he was anything like his brother, Karkat admitted to himself. The Strider probably understood what really happened in the doomed timeline where his boyfriend died. That 'present' Karkat's feelings for Dave would have shone through. Dirk was probably suspicious that the ghost had lingering feelings for his brother. The fact that the dead troll refused to disconfirm this only made things worse.

Kanaya thought it was only a fleeting flare of a not-so-black hatred. Karkat could see the relationship was falling apart entirely.

A thunderous sound ripped through the air, startling Karkat so badly that he jumped. Terezi grabbed Dave reflexively while Rose and Kanaya tried not to stumble. Karkat saw as his counterpart reached for Dirk, then flinched back like he had been burned. The Strider whipped around to stare in the direction of the noise. The void was falling apart above them as an enraged scream was heard over the shattering of the sky.

"It's the cherub!" Dirk shouted. "You all need to run, now!"

Rose grabbed Kanaya, getting ready to fly away. But then she hesitated. As a Hero of Light, she couldn't hide, but they might be able to keep enough distance away from the cherub that he would lose interest. If they bought enough time they might even wake up.

"RUN!" Dead!Karkat shouted, waiting until the two girls and his live counterpart were at least close before moving, Dirk only one step ahead of him.

Dave considered using his powers again but hesitated. The last time ended in disaster, and he didn't want to create more ghosts for the cherub to destroy, even if it would buy them more time. Besides, he had a strong feeling this was the way it was supposed to be.

A shattering of glass brought him to a halt mid-air. Rose nearly crashed into him as he stared into the void. There were so many cracks. And it seemed that the black abyss was _falling_. Karkat pulled off some amazing fucking acrobatics as the first large piece nearly crushed him. "Keep moving!" he shouted when he realized the others had halted to check on him.

Dave readjusted his grip on Terezi. If he grabbed Karkat too it would only slow him down. Still, the troll was struggling to keep pace with the God-Tiers.

He wasn't the only one. The ghost duo was having trouble as the ground started shaking and ripping apart. Dirk was more focused on hopping over the widening crevices than his partner. But it wasn't the troll who screwed up.

"FUCK!"

Dave and Rose both turned around at the sound of Vantas' shout. As they looked, they had no idea which Karkat shouted. Either way, the results were plain to see.

Dirk was flat on his back, his partner lying face down just a few feet away. He lifted his head weakly and looked at Dirk who, by this point, managed to sit up in order to see what was happening. "What are you staring at?" the Cancer coughed weakly.

His live counterpart approached slightly but kept a fair distance, unnoticed by the pair. Karkat was fairly certain Dirk was staring at the same thing he was; the giant fucking crackling piece of void sitting on the ghost's lower half.

"What the fuck are you waiting for, an invitation to a 12th Perigree's Eve party? Go!" The last word was coughed. It seemed as though part of his lungs were crushed along with his legs.

Dirk scrambled to his feet. Karkat, thinking Dirk was going to try and save his dead self, moved to help the Strider. Instead, he was grabbed by the dead human and dragged in the direction of his friends at a rather high speed.

"Wait, wait!" Karkat yelled, struggling to keep on his feet while simultaneously trying to break out of the ghost's grip. But the Strider was strong and determined as fuck not to let go.

As Dirk approached with Karkat in tow, the other four began to move, hoping they would be able to escape the chaos.

Karkat struggled during every step he took away from Lord English. He wanted to shout; _How the fuck can you just abandon him? After he even shoved you out of the way! You fucking selfish bastard_. Yet he knew he couldn't. Dirk had hesitated. He didn't want to leave his significant other behind, but he felt had no choice.

It wasn't long before that same hesitation reared its head. "Dave, take Karkat," he ordered, causing his brother to pull up short yet again.

"What?!"

Dead!Dirk didn't bother answering. Instead, he practically threw the troll at his younger brother. When he was certain Dave and Terezi had a good grip on the surprised Cancer he turned around and ran back toward his boyfriend.

Figuring that there was now enough leeway, Dave dragged Karkat and Terezi over to Rose and Kanaya before moving through several timeloops. At the end of their trip he managed to bring them back to the parked meteor, which was still functioning as their base of operations.

Rose and Kanaya both dropped like stones. Terezi managed to sit down a little more gracefully. Karkat stumbled off to the side for a few steps before falling on his hands and knees.

"Oh, we are never doing that again," Terezi moaned, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes.

Kanaya and Rose looked similarly nauseated as they clung to each other. "Yes, I much prefer the manipulation of space to that of time," the Virgo agreed.

Dave looked at them sympathetically but stayed silent. Karkat, meanwhile, was struggling to stand. When he nearly fell over a second time Dave finally took notice. He considered helping the troll to his feet, but knew he would be rebuffed.

Therefore, it came as a surprise when Karkat stumbled over to him. Just a step short the troll tripped and fell into the Strider. The Cancer grabbed Dave's hoodie to keep from falling flat on his face. "Strider," he gasped.

Dave tried to shove him away. "Dude, if you're going to hurl, do not do it on the duds."

"Is that, ugh, all you can think about?" he wheezed, clearly dizzy but too stubborn to care. "You can… fucking clean your cape later. You need to go back… and save them."

"No," Dave responded flatly.

Karkat did not appreciate the resistance. He straightened up slightly, but he was still holding onto Dave for support. "If you won't go, then send me."

Dave visibly flinched, nearly sending Karkat toppling over. "I am not sending you back. Even if you stood a chance against the cherub on a miraculous day, you can't even stand right now."

"I can do it," Karkat spat, pushing back against the Strider. He wobbled slightly, and Dave reached out to help steady him, but the troll regained his balance and swatted the hand away. "We have to help them."

Dave shook his head solemnly, ignoring the look of motion-sickness and fury dancing over Karkat's face. "There's nothing any of us can do, Vantas."

"Fuck you! Just send me back!" the troll snarled, getting into Dave's personal space yet again.

This time, Dave grabbed the Cancer and pulled him closer instead of shoving him away. "Cut the crap and let it drop! Why do you even care? They were ghosts!" The Strider paused for a moment. It shouldn't matter to Vantas. He was here even if his ghost wasn't. Dave on the other hand had just lost his brother yet again.

The Cancer's reddened eyes widened, and for a split second Dave wondered if he had slipped up and let something show. But a moment later the characteristic scowl was back in place. Karkat shoved himself away from Dave. "Why the fuck do I care? I'll tell you why; he wasn't the failure," the troll hissed, bringing his normal volume down a few decibels.

"Karkat, what do you mean?" Rose asked, finally managing to stand without fear of vomiting. Hangovers were much worse.

Karkat whirled around, taking a few steps away from the group. There was a moment of silence before he abruptly rounded on his friends. "Are you fucking serious? He actually managed to save somebody, twice! He knew how to keep his cool in a bad situation. And you know what else? He was fucking happy! He and Dirk were so happy before we fucked it up…" With that the Cancer collapsed onto his knees. It took a lot of effort for him to force the tears down.

As he knelt, shaking, Kanaya took a step toward her friend. Everyone else remained motionless, unsure what they should do. "Karkat," she prompted, trying to get him to look up at her. It didn't work. "Karkat, what do you mean? How do you know they were happy?" They hadn't seemed unhappy, but from what she could tell ghosts weren't exactly the most content group of people.

"I… He told me he was happy. And I think I at least know myself well enough to know when I'm happy." His voice cracked slightly at the start. He cleared his throat before continuing. He wasn't ashamed of his breakdown; he would have given anything to switch places with the pair. "And they were vacillating. There's no way I- he would have been happy if it wasn't working out, and it wouldn't work out if Dirk wasn't happy too."

Kanaya gasped slightly at the second half of her friend's omission. It had been a much more complex relationship than she had first assumed. No wonder her meddling instincts would come and go so quickly.

Everyone else was equally shocked. Truth told, Terezi thought Karkat was still flushed for her, but knowing that his ghost found someone else was both a relief and a source of jealousy. Rose was rather surprised by the admission that Karkat could have flushed feelings for a Strider. Dave, on the other hand, was surprised his brother had fallen for Vantas.

"At least," Dave started, hesitating when Karkat looked up at him. Pinkish tears threatened to spill from the troll's eyes.

The tears were blinked away almost instantly. The troll shot to his feet and rounded on Dave yet again. "At least what, Strider? What kind of possible miracle could make this better? They were so fucking happy and I got them killed!" Not 'we', 'I'. Karkat refused to hold anyone else responsible. His ghost was still him, and partially to blame as well, but the ghost deserved to live more than the alpha timeline Karkat felt he did.

* * *

Dirk didn't even waste time trying to slice the void with his sword. Even with reality falling apart at the seams, his attacks would be ineffective. Instead, he went straight to his partner.

Karkat had been resting his head on the ground, trying to keep his breathing as even as he could. At the nearly silent sound of Dirk's approach his head whipped right up, though. "What the fuck are you doing?" he wheezed, glaring as best he could. Even with his injuries it was still pretty fierce.

Dirk chuckled, finding the look more adorable than intimidating. He sat down next to Karkat so that the troll didn't have to look up as far. "I got them to safety."

"That wasn't what I asked," the troll snapped in response. "Why the fuck did you bother to come back?"

Dirk sighed, sliding sideways toward the Cancer. For a moment, it looked like Karkat might actually try to bite his thigh, but the troll caved in and let Dirk move, though he refused to lower his head onto his lover's lap. "I couldn't leave you," the human finally admitted.

"All you had to do was keep walking," Karkat stated. "You fucking moron." The muttered response lacked a lot of his usual heat. The ghost lowered his gaze. "You shouldn't have come back. You think I want you to die too? I didn't shove you out of the way for shits and giggles, you know."

He finally gave in and lowered his head onto Dirk's thigh. The young man wasted no time in combing his fingers through his boyfriend's hair, being careful to avoid his horns. He thought it would be inappropriate, given the situation.

As the cherub's roars grew louder, Dirk finally replied. "I know. You always look out for the people you love." He thought briefly about how the injured troll had died, and the blood covering his brother's hoodie. He had been jealous, it's true; now there was nothing even close lingering in his heart. "But relationships are a two way street." He had learned that the hard way. "I love you, Karkat. And I'm going to stay with you until the end."

It wasn't all that surprising when he felt rather than heard his love snuffle against his leg. "I'm scared."

Dirk felt his heart break. Twice the troll had thrown his life away without a second thought. Now he was forced to wait and contemplate instead of having it taken away quickly and painlessly. "It'll be okay," he hushed. He twisted his body so that he could kiss the top of Karkat's head. "I'll be right here with you." His fingers twined with his lover's, Dirk looked up and saw the cherub slowly approaching. The bastard knew he had won, and now he was taking his sweet time watching Karkat suffer.

Dirk felt rage well up in his chest, but he kept calm as he continued to talk to Karkat, mumbling into the troll's hair. "Remember all those times we sparred? You were so tired you fell asleep right after we finished."

He waited for Karkat to nod before continuing, relishing the feel of the soft, black hair against his face. "You said you slept so peacefully. It's just like that. It's peaceful."

Karkat looked up at Dirk. There was only a trace of fear on the troll's face. More or less he looked resigned to his fate.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Karkat."

The troll couldn't see the cherub preparing his final, devastating attack from where he was nestled in Dirk's embrace. But he did feel his lover tense.

"They'll get it right next time."

* * *

"At least they died together," Dave finished, not knowing any other way to console Karkat or himself for that matter. By this point, everyone was upset.

Yet Dave's words seemed to have some impact, at least. "Yeah, they were together," the Cancer repeated in an agreeing tone. "And their suffering won't be for nothing."


End file.
